The Prophecy
by Zake's Fanfics
Summary: On his way to the South Pole, Zuko has a realistic vision about an unfamiliar Water Tribe girl that turns his world around and changes his destiny. Katara x Zuko (Zutara) P.S: Zuko arrives at the Souther Water Tribe village a week before Aang is discovered. Story better than summary, read and review!
1. Until Death Do Us Part

_A/N: In this_ fanfic _Zuko arrives at the South Pole a week before Aang is found._

Chapter I: Until Death Do Us Part

It was an ordinary day on Zuko's ship. Uncle Iroh and the Lieutenant were drinking tea and having a conversation:

"I got to tell you, Lieutenant, the South Pole is a strange place, but I doubt there are going to be any signs of the Avatar here." Iroh said nonchalantly sipping his tea. The Lieutenant nodded:

"I have no idea why the prince would bring us here. This place is a frozen wasteland, there is no reason why the Avatar would be here. Furthermore, there are no benders left among the Southern Water Tribe."

Zuko who was training nearby and overheard this conversation. He approached the two and threw a death glare:

"I've been looking everywhere for the Avatar, we've been to every corner of the World. If the Avatar is not here, where would he be then?" He questioned, raising his voice.

"Nephew, don't stress yourself! Come, join us for some tea." Iroh made some room for Zuko to sit down with them.

"Uncle, I have no time for this, I am trying to fulfill my destiny and restore my honor. I have no time for your stupid tea. I need to prove to my father that I am a worthy son." Zuko slammed his foot on the ground in anger and walked away.

"We have time before we…" Iroh wanted to say but changed his mind. The Lieutenant shook his head in disapproval continuing:

"This is meaningless. The Avatar has not been seen for the last hundred years. It almost sounds like one of those false prophesies that never come true."

"Ah, but Avatar Roku did live during my grandfather's and great-grandfather's time, Lieutenant. Maybe not now, but a hundred years ago, the Avatar was an important figure." Iroh explained, to which the Lieutenant scoffed:

"Nothing but a legend now." With great skepticism, the Lieutenant sipped his tea.

"Most legends hold the truth, Lieutenant." Iroh said and looked at the blizzard that was coming to their direction from afar:

"Some legends say, that when you enter a blizzard like this, you might get a peek at your destiny in your dreams." Iroh commented. The Lieutenant looked at him with surprise:

"Have you seen yours, General?" He asked with great curiosity, putting down his tea, all his attention on Iroh.

"No, I have not. Once as a kid though, I dreamt of taking the great city of Ba Sing Se… those visions cost me dearly…" Iroh's voice shifted from sincerity to depression, the Lieutenant did not inquire further and stood to give orders to the men to prepare for the blizzard. There was still a day or two of sailing until they could reach the shore.

Zuko worn out by his thoughts and by his training went back to his chambers and lied down on his bed. He could hear the approaching blizzard. At first it did not bother him, and his mind took him back once more to a place, where it had taken him every single day since his exile a few years back: to the duel with his father, when he got the scar, that served as a mark of his dishonor and cowardice for refusing to fight his father. For the first time though, these sounds started fading in the background as he was falling asleep and were being replaced by the sounds of the blizzard. It was almost therapeutic if it was not for the cold that overwhelmed him.

The white color suddenly overwhelmed his vision. Was he awake? Was he asleep? Was he dead? He did not know, but something was not right. He could not think clearly: the blizzard was too strong and loud. When it slowly started to fade away, he found himself on an icy shore covered in snow, the blizzard subsided a little, so he managed to conjure fire that he used as a torch to see through the infinite snow.

"Uncle!" He called, but there was no response. He decided to burn his flames a little brighter. He moved forward and called again:

"Uncle!" His voice barely traveled farther. He saw someone bending the snow away, slowly but surely approaching Zuko. Their technique seemed very basic and erratic, but the person came through. It was a girl in a thick blue coat, with than skin, blue eyes and of slender build. She looked at him, there were resentment and sadness on her face. She was shivering from the cold:

"I've been here for a while now…" She said in a weak but melodic voice. "…And the person that…I meet is from the Fire Nation…"

"Who are you?! Where is my uncle?!" Zuko grabbed her by the collar in anger. It seemed to him that she was somewhat involved in this blizzard.

"I should be asking the same questions, you Fire Nation scum. Who are you? Where is my mother?" She asked the last question sarcastically, but with even more hatred than Zuko, collapsing on her knees: "Oh, that's right, your people KILLED HER *cough* *cough* *cough*…"

The girl started violently coughing and it seemed like her eyes were half-closed. At first, Zuko continued asking her the obvious questions that a lost man would: "Where are we?" "What is happening" "Where is my ship?" "Where is my uncle?" "Where and others, but the girl continued coughing even more violently. Zuko commented:

"You are not well…" He made the fire even more intense, melting the snow around him, the warmth radiated both to him and to the girl, who smirked and collapsed into the snow.

"Hey, wake up! Wake up!" Zuko tried to radiate his flames enough so she could come back to consciousness. To his relief it worked, the girl spoke:

"Find us shelter… *cough* *cough*…" She barely managed to mumble, but he understood her all too well. Zuko took the girl in his arms and frantically started looking for shelter. There had to be a cave, there had to be something around here that would protect them from this deadly blizzard. He searched for an hour or so while trying to keep this girl warm. Maybe she did not matter to him at all, maybe she was just an insect to him, but she was the only person he could find in this white inferno and maybe the only way out of it was to speak with her. It all seemed surreal to him, it did not feel like a dream, it felt like reality. Had his ship crashed here? Was he kidnaped and left for dead? Why was he in this unknown land, with unknown people? He knew that this was somewhere in the south pole, though according to the Lieutenant they still had a day or two to sail. Something did not add up. With these thoughts, he wandered and wandered the snowy wilderness, until finally stumbling on a small cavern in-between two big rocks. He immediately crawled in there. It was big enough for two people. Zuko quickly conjured up more fire as to make the interior of this cave warm, when he suddenly noticed that there was no steam coming out from the girl, she was not breathing. He panicked, he did not know how to restore her breathing. He then remembered that during his training he was shown how to resuscitate someone who was not breathing. Zuko grabbed temples:

"I can't believe I am doing this." He whispered to himself, opened the girl's mouth wide open, took a deep breath, put his lips against hers and breathed warm air inside of her lungs. It did not work on the first try, the second try or the third try. Zuko started losing hope, he decided to try one last time, before deciding that there was nothing he can do to save her. He once again breathed warm air inside of her, and suddenly felt her lips move instinctively. It felt more like a kiss than a resuscitation at that point, the girl opened her eyes as Zuko removed his lips from hers, she started coughing violently while eyeing the prince with the same resentment. After she stopped she questioned, again in her weak voice:

"What were you doing?" She was visibly shaken up and angry, but unable to do anything. She resembled a fading flower during a harsh winter.

"You weren't breathing..." Zuko answered, also calmly, blushing a little. "Now, talk, who are you? Where are we?"

The girl thought for a little while, she did not want to answer at first, but looking at the blizzard outside, looking at Zuko and having series of coughs one more violent than the other she decided to open up to him. Her situation seemed futile one way or the other. Zuko meanwhile questioned her several more times, his patience was running out:

"Tell me, now!" He demanded. She looked at him with a blank stare, sending a chill down Zuko's spine:

"There is no way out for us from this. We are destined to die here. Might as well get to know each other before we starve or die of *cough* our illness. My name is Katara… *cough* *cough*… I am from the Southern Water Tribe. I got lost when I went out to find penguins and got caught in the blizzard… I've been wandering for days with no soul that crossed my path…"

"No, I am not destined to die here…" He whispered to himself and decided to introduce himself as well:

"I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation…" He said quietly as the girl spat in his face.

"This is who I am destined to die with… A prince of the nation with my mother's blood on their hands… *cough* *cough* *cough*…" She finally gathered enough to yell this out, but what followed was an even more violent cough. At first, Zuko wanted to end her life, swiftly. He was insulted that she dared to speak of him like that. Then he remembered how the loss of his mother affected him.

"I am sorry, Katara." He said putting his hand on her forehead, he noticed that her fever was rising. It was not noticeable in the cold, but being exposed to the elements for days on end made her extremely ill. Mean, hile the blizzard outside was getting stronger and stronger, so he had no choice but to stay in the cave. Tears started falling out from Katara's eyes:

"You cannot bring her back, she is gone! This could not be the end… Not like this… Not with you! Is there any hope in the world? Is the Avatar going to show up to save us from your stupid war..." Before she could finish Zuko sprang up to his feet:

"THE AVATAR?! WHERE DID YOU SEE HIM?!" He screamed grabbing her by the collar. Maybe she was his path to the Avatar, maybe his destiny lied in the hands of this girl.

"The avatar is dead, calm down *cough* *cough*… I've waited for him all my life, and I do not think I will get to see him during my lifetime. So, rejoice! You won!" Katara put a stop to his tantrum, he slowly helped her lay back down. His shock turned in to embarrassment. Why was he feeling it? This girl was a nobody, and yet he started feeling shame and guilt. He tried to hold these feelings back, but they were overwhelming him.

"I've been looking for the Avatar for years…" Zuko mentioned, trying somehow to explain his sudden outburst.

"So you can catch and kill him? Is that why *cough*…" Katara glared at him with hatred. "You do not have to justify yourself, Prince. I already know that you are an evil man. You have no idea how devastating it is to lose a mother…"

Zuko stared back at her. She was fading by the minute, she was in agony both physically and spiritually, dying near an unknown man that she resents. The blizzard was stronger than ever, so there was no way he could bring her out of the cave, they would have perished right then and there. At least the cave delayed the inevitable. He decided to do the unthinkable, he took off her glove and held her hand, the girl widened her eyes, but before she could pull her hand, Zuko firmly said:

"Katara, my mother left us without giving any clue about where she was going when I was little. I have wondered ever since where she is now" Zuko teared up himself. Why was this affecting him so much? He needed to get out of that cave and find his ship and his crew to get back to his quest to capture the Avatar and restore his honor, and yet he could not bring himself to leave this girl by herself. Suddenly Katara asked him, without responding to his story:

"Why are you looking for the Avatar, Zuko?"

Zuko decided to relay to her the whole story, there was no reason why he would hold back. He decided that at least this would be enough to entertain the dying girl. He told her how he spoke out of order during the meeting of the generals to protect a division of recruits, and how his father challenged him to an Agni-Kai afterward when he thought that he was going to be challenging an old general of the Fire Nation army. How his refusal to fight his father was labeled as cowardice and dishonor. He told her that the scar given to him by the Fire Lord during the duel served as a mark of his shame.

"…My father exiled me… and said that the only way I could restore my honor is by bringing the Avatar to him…" He concluded. Katara listened to him intently, her eyes widening in surprise. She squeezed back his hand:

"I think your father lied to you… There is no Avatar, there is no hope… He exiled you for the slightest kindness that you showed in that council… My story is a little simpler. They came in looking for the last waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe, my mother claimed that she was the last waterbender, when she wasn't. It was me *cough cough*…"

They lost the track of time, telling each other about their lives and experiences. Katara coughed and wheezed, but she continued telling her stories in her weak voice, while Zuko continued to tell his. Their hands still joined together. Zuko's free hand was warming up the room. For the first time in years, Zuko was enjoying himself. He genuinely happier than he ever had despite the dire circumstances both teens were in. He forgot about his surroundings and focused on the conversation with Katara.

Suddenly Katara's coughs became more violent and it was almost impossible for her to breathe. She could not tell anything, her body was spasming. Zuko looked at her, she was quickly deteriorating. Zuko wanted to step out to see if he could manage through the blizzard, but it was impossible to see through the infinite veil of white and it had gotten much colder than before. Finally, the coughs stopped, but the expression on Katara's face frightened Zuko. It looked as though she was already a corpse that was going cold.

"I hope my gran-gran, my brother Sokka and my father are not too worried about me." She said smiling at him. With the last of her strength, she took off her necklace and put it in Zuko's hand.

"If you ever find them… Give this to them... It was my mother's necklace… I know you will… you are not as bad as I thought you were… Bury me in the snow…" After mustering these words, she went into one last violent cough and drew her last breath. Hearing those words struck a nerve in Zuko, but before he could respond, he noticed that the girl stopped breathing or moving.

"Katara…Katara…" Zuko felt that panic set in again within him. "KATARA!"

Zuko tried to resuscitate her, get her heart beating again. The first time she had stopped breathing he needed information, he needed to get out, but this time he needed her to be there with him. At that moment, he did not care about the Avatar, he did not care about his honor, he did not care about the Fire Nation. He cared about her and only her. He tried many times but to no avail. His last attempt to resuscitate her turned in to a kiss goodbye: her lips were cold. She was gone. He broke down like a child, crying his eyes out, his tears falling on her coat. It was not some fairytale that miraculously would bring her back. This was it. At that moment he was ready to give up everything just to bring her back. He felt more hopeless that he ever had in his life. After gathering his thoughts, he took her lifeless body and finally went outside the cave. The blizzard was still raging. Her words "Bury me in the snow…" rang through his ears, as he dug as deep as he could into the snow and buried her under it. He did not care for the cold, or the blizzard or his wellbeing. He wanted to keep the promises that he gave to this water tribe girl that made him feel whole for a sliver of time.

When he was finally done, he looked at the necklace and suddenly he awoke from his slumber, in cold sweat.

"KATARA!" He yelled as he woke up, his uncle rushing over to him:

"Prince Zuko! What happened?" Iroh asked looking at his nephew with utmost concern. Zuko was trying to orient himself to his environment. Was it all a dream? It felt all too real, it was impossible!

"Uncle?!" He looked at him shocked. He eyed his surroundings, he was on his ship. He looked at his hand, but there was no necklace.

"WHERE IS THE NECKLACE?" Zuko yelled looking at his hands. The prince frantically started looking for it. Iroh tried to call him down:

"Prince Zuko, you had a bad dream! You've slept for a whole day, we are approaching the South Pole." Iroh explained putting his hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"It can't be a dream! I felt it, I saw it… The cold, the blizzard, the girl… I buried her, I buried her myself…" Zuko broke down hugging his uncle. Iroh surprised about this sudden show of sentimentality.

"A girl? There, there, Zuko. It was a horrible nightmare… It might have been a prophecy of sorts. Remember not to take those too literary." Iroh said smiling. What was he talking about? Something did not add up. He knew that a blizzard might cause prophetic dreams, but not realistic visions.

"Uncle, her name was Katara, she was a girl from the Southern Water Tribe. We were in a cave… she died… I had to bury her with my hands… she gave me a necklace…I have to give it back to her relatives" Zuko teared up once again. Suddenly the lieutenant walked in and said, ignoring the scene before him:

"We've arrived at the Southern Water Tribe Village. Get ready your majesty." He said firmly and strictly.

Zuko released his uncle, rose up from his bed and nodded to the Lieutenant, who nodded back and left. Zuko was glad that this awkward moment was finally over. Iroh looked at him with concern:

"Remember, you are here for the Avatar." Iroh tried to remind him, but Zuko looked like he was in grief, as though he had lost a loved one. He knew that feeling all too well since he had lost his son. This was a bit unusual for the Prince, so the uncle told him:

"I will make tea for both of us, we can discuss your dream after we are done with our business in the village." He said cheerfully and smiling, to which he received a sad nod. Iroh again was taken aback, Zuko would have never accepted his offer, but something within him after a long sleep.

Zuko put on his armor half-heartedly. It was not his day. He was still recovering from his nightmarish vision, but he had to finish what he had planned. He could not just abandon these plans, he and his men worked hard at sailing here, it was his duty. He commanded his troops to join him as the ship approached the shore. Zuko eyed the village, the residents were already beginning to hide after witnessing their ship. One warrior was standing in front of the village, ready to fight.

"Is that all they've got?" Zuko asked the Lieutenant unenthusiastically.

"It seems so, your majesty." The Lieutenant laughed and commanded the ship to stop. Zuko and his crew departed from the ship, only to be met with this warrior attacking them. Zuko threw him to the side without much effort and marched into the village. Suddenly he felt a splash of water on his face. It felt almost like a weak whip, it was cold, but it did not affect him. His eyes widened when he saw the person who attacked him: There she was, in all her grace. The girl that he saw in that realistic vision: Katara. She looked healthy and ready to take him and his army on. It felt like a miracle or a messed-up trick played by his broken mind. He was glad that she was standing there, alive and well.

"Katara!" Zuko shouted, looking right into her eyes. He looked like a madman. The girl gasped in shock, her voice shaking:

"Z-Zuko..." She responded, with her voice shaking.

 _To be continued…_


	2. Explaining the Bizzare

Chapter II: Explaining the Bizzare

Zuko shook his head in disbelief, there she was, standing right in front of him. Both teens were could not believe what they were seeing. The dream felt very real, but the fact that it was a dream still did not change. He could not believe that she was real, neither did she. The Lieutenant and Iroh looked at each other baffled. There was no possible way these two would have known about each other.

"You don't suppose she is the Avatar?" The Lieutenant whispered into Iroh's year, who nodded:

"There is a lot of things we do not know, Lieutenant, but Zuko said that he saw this girl in his dream, right before the assault." Iroh whispered to the Lieutenant. He was confused about the whole affair himself. The Water Tribe girl that his nephew mentioned minutes ago was there, standing right in front of him.

The two teens started at each other with a half-smile, their eyes watery and shining filled with surprise. They slowly approached each other, they could not believe that this was possible. Meanwhile, Sokka reoriented himself and charged at Zuko once more, almost ruining the tender moment.

"Katara, watch out!" He screeched and was about to hit the prince, but Iroh stopped him with a swift movement of his hand, melting his boomerang. Sokka stared at the old man, terrified.

"There are forces we do not understand at play here, boy." Iroh warned albeit in a kind way "Interfering with them would not be a wise choice."

The Lieutenant looked around, everyone in this village was observing the scene by peaking from out of their tents. Everyone was dumbfounded with the insanity that transpired next.

Katara gave her small hand to Zuko, which he grabbed with both of his. His eyes now leaking with bitter tears. She was real, this was not an illusion, although the illusion of her seemed almost as realistic. Her eyes also filled with tears as she hugged Zuko:

"You're real…" She whispered in his ear while quietly sobbing. "I was afraid… I was so afraid that you froze in that cave…"

"And I was afraid that you were dead…" Zuko added, smiling. The embrace was tender and prolonged. They stood there for half a minute, Sokka's jaw was wide open, the Lieutenant had the same expression. Suddenly an old lady appeared from one of the tents:

"Katara!" She yelled out approaching the two. She did not look confused or dumbfounded, instead, she was angry. Katara immediately turned towards her grandmother.

"Gran-gran, I can explain, he… I…" Katara stumbled at her own words, there was no possible way that she could explain her reasoning without appearing to look insane.

"How long has this been going on? How long have you been collaborating with the enemy?" The old woman asked, pointing her index in Katara's face and eyeing her, Zuko and the troops that he brought. Sokka hearing this also towered over Katara:

"Our father is fighting a war! A WAR against these people and you go out right in front of the village and embrace the enemy like they are your saviors or something! Shame on you!" He pointed his boomerang at her, which made Katara take a step back and stumbling, but before she could fall Zuko caught her, which further angered Sokka, the villagers started coming out of their tents and yelling insults. Zuko's crew was prepared to engage, but Iroh and the Lieutenant stopped them: they were all women and children and if things got out of hand, Zuko would have the opportunity to retreat. He did not want to intervene since he himself did not have a grasp on the situation.

"Gran-gran, Sokka, I would never do that. Please, just hear me out!" Katara begged as everyone she held dear to her started to turn against her in a heartbeat. She knew that this was happening in the heat of the moment, at the sight of the enemy, and she, herself, hugged an enemy in the heat of the moment. If only the cold of the South Pole could get this situation cool down. It was not happening.

"Listen, my purpose here is different. I came here looking for the Avatar, but on my way here I saw a vision! A vision of…" Zuko wanted to explain when everyone from the village started throwing snow at him and Katara.

"Avatar?! What a bunch of nonsense!" The old lady spat out.

Sokka's lips started quivering and tears started falling out of his eyes as well. He could not believe what he was about to say:

"Quit spouting lies and just take her! Take this traitor out of our village! Leave us alone!" He shouted with despair and anger weighing his heart down. Katara looked him in shock:

"Sokka, no…" She murmured the joy that she was experiencing moments before being replaced with sadness and despair. "Please, I beg of you…"

"Boo! Get out!" A little kid shrieked at them, and the whole village once again started to throw out insults at Katara. The crowd got closer and closer to them with each passing second.

"Katara, you better leave." Her grandmother reaffirmed the words of her brother. Her anger subsided, turning in to disappointment. Katara wanted to yell, she wanted to explain everything to her, but the only thing that came out:

"Is that how much you love?" Katara squealed through her tears, looking at both the crying Sokka and the disappointed old woman.

"We should be asking you the same thing, Katara." Sokka said quietly

Katara wanted to run away from it all, run away to the cold wilderness of the South Pole, but two firm hands held her by her arms:

"No, I've lost you once, I am not intending to lose you again." Zuko said. He noticed that she looked towards the wilderness, and stopped paying attention to her surroundings. He was paranoid. Paranoid over someone he bonded in a non-existent world, a World where he witnessed this ordinary Water Tribe girl die. He was afraid, at that moment, that the same destiny awaited her again, so he held on to her. It almost looked like he was taken her prisoner, but the village was exiling her almost in the same manner as he had been from his nation. He would be burning this village down, looking for the Avatar, but all of that did not matter to him. Katara, only Katara mattered, no one and nothing else.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Katara yelled and struggled all of a sudden. "My place is here, with my brother and my grandmother!"

"Katara, your actions have no redemption… It is best if you leave…" Sokka repeated while the villagers continued to insult and belittle her, calling her every name in the book. Katara continued to struggle.

"We better start going back to the ship. The girl might be the Avatar… I am not sure, but it is a possibility. Either way, we need to leave. Zuko seems to have a strange attachment to her, and she to him…" Iroh whispered to the Lieutenant, he then called Zuko:

"Zuko, it is time to go! There is no reason for us to stay here."

Zuko looked back and nodded. No matter how much water she splashed on his face, to matter how much she tried to get out of his grip, Zuko did not let go of her. The villagers, even her own family would not have accepted her or viewed her the same after her more than cordial welcome to him. He felt like if she let her go at that moment, she would have ended up astray from her village, in the same condition that she found her in his dream. That thought terrified him to his very core. He dragged her to the ship as his men retreated.

"Turn back the ship! Sail towards the Southern Air temple! We shall regroup there." Zuko commanded as the ship started setting sail. Katara let out a loud: "NO!"

"Katara, calm down." The Prince hugged her tight as the ship left the village. She watched as Sokka, looked at the ship sailing away. He gazed at her with sadness, contempt, and disappointment. Katara started sobbing on Zuko's shoulder, unable to understand anything that had transpired. She was happy to see Zuko once more, but it was all negated by her family literally disowning her in the heat of the moment, without hearing her out. And even if they did, would have they believed her? She calmly pushed Zuko:

"You shouldn't have come, Zuko… You knew better than to be looking for the Avatar after what you…" She murmured looking down barely holding her emotions from spilling. She was trembling and holding her head, trying to realize the full extent of what happened.

"I am sorry…" He apologized looking into her eyes. "I wanted to turn back, but it was too late… We were already here when I woke up from that dream…"

"Whatever it was… I wish it never happened…" She told still looking down.

"Do you think I enjoyed seeing you go?" Zuko asked, frustrated that he was unable to do anything to rescue her situation, though he was relieved that Katara was right here, alive and with him, despite the negativity that hung in the air. Before Katara could respond they were both approached by Iroh:

"Come, let's have some tea… Perhaps you want to tell me about the dream you had." He mentioned, both teens looked at each other and agreed, although with almost no enthusiasm after what they went through. The Lieutenant watched as the three went down into the interior of the ship.

"What a mess." He whispered to himself, unable to understand what kind of madness came over the prince and his newly found Water Tribe "girlfriend". Some of his men approached him with questions about the incident, but he reprimanded them for asking too many questions, as he himself was unable to answer any of them. Iroh had a point, there were forces that he did not want to meddle with at play here, though he feared what if this girl is the Avatar and Prince Zuko might get him and other men on the ship in trouble with the Fire Lord. After a while, he dismissed all those thoughts and went on to conduct business as usual. After a bit of sailing, he saw something floating in the sea that was very unusual.

Meanwhile, Iroh already set up a small table and arranged the cups, pouring his tea for Katara, Zuko and himself. Both Katara and Zuko looked grim and for good reason. He turned to Katara:

"Sometimes, we mustn't blame ourselves for the circumstances we were in, but blame the circumstances instead. Prince Zuko awoke telling me about you and how you had passed away in his dream, without meeting you prior to this…" He said calmly, but with a serious tone.

"I wandered in that vision for what it seemed like days. I got sick, I thought I was going to die alone in the snow, and then Zuko showed up. I did slip away eventually, but at my dying moment… he was there… Then I awoke, completely normal, as though it was a dream, in my tent… I thought I was done for…" Katara explained as much as she could while trying to recall her part of the vision. Her speech was erratic, she was still shaking. She took a sip of Iroh's tea to get her composure back somewhat.

"I saw her die… I buried her in the snow…" Zuko glanced at Katara, still remembering the grief he felt, but there was a strange calm in his soul, almost morbid actually. He has not felt so calm since before he was exiled.

"An old wife tale told that strange things can happen during a blizzard, but I thought those were all rumors. Apparently, they were true. Now, this might be a little farfetched, but it might have been the Spirit World… Though if it seemed like our own world, I highly doubt it." Iroh said looking at Katara and looking back at his nephew. He sensed a certain calm radiating from him that he had not felt for years.

"It felt, and it seemed like our own World, uncle. Nothing unusual about it, other than it was all an illusion." Zuko told also sipping his tea. "Whatever it was, it was not of this World."

"I do not understand, why us…" Katara looked down at her cup, still sorrowful as before. Zuko put his hand on her shoulder and said:

"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out." He reassured her. She glanced at him briefly and continued staring at her teacup. The tea did calm her down a little, she was now able to grasp her position. She was a castaway of her tribe because no one wanted to listen to her. Here though, Zuko's uncle was willing to listen and Zuko was the only other person who could understand that strange occurrence. The Exiled Prince was now her only chance to set things right.

"Zuko, we need to find my father… He's somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. He'll understand, he'll clear my name…" She offered to the Prince, to have at least a glimpse of hope, to which he nodded:

"The Earth Kingdom is enormous, but we will…" He wanted to say when suddenly the Lieutenant came rushing in and yelling:

"Prince Zuko, General Iroh, we hit something!" He was panting and there was shock in his eyes. They've only been sailing for about half an hour, and the ship had to be stopped already. Zuko shook his head, annoyed.

"I'll handle this…" He said to Iroh and Katara and went out to the deck. He had enough drama and excitement for one day. The search for the Avatar was in the back of his head, but was not his priority at that moment due to his emotional exhaustion after the visions and after the scene in the village. The Lieutenant brought him in front of a body of a boy and some animal lying on the floor.

"We found this… this bison thing and a boy… Trapped in the iceberg. His eyes and his tattoos were… glowing… or so we saw… He was alive… I do not know if he still is." The Lieutenant explain as best as he could, stuttering each word. Zuko looked at the boy, his eyes widened:

"He's an air nomad… I thought that they were all killed…" He shined a flame in front of the boy's face. The boy suddenly opened his eyes, which were normal and not glowing as the Lieutenant said.

"Oh…ummm… who are you?" The asked with a weak voice staring right at Zuko. Then he quickly sprang up to his feet, and a gust of air hit Zuko as the boy sneezed. The crew backed away from the boy. Zuko looked at him dumbfounded, there was no possible way to explain what was happening. Was he in another vision? No, that was not it.

"Cat got your tongue?" The boy smiled and offered Zuko to shake hands:

"My name is Aang, and what is your name?" He introduced himself. Zuko finally snapped back to his senses:

"Zuko." He took his hand and shook it. Iroh and Katara came out to the deck to see that scene.

"No, this can't be… I thought all the air nomads were… and his Bison" Iroh put his hand on his beard, he was still processing the whole situation with the vision, but adding a random air nomad to the equation did not add up.

"The last one was seen a hundred years ago…" Katara also stared at the boy confused. She was not sure what had happened to them. Iroh instinctive first words to Aang were:

"Would you like some tea." He offered showing off his teapot, to which Aang bobbed his head:

"I would love to!" He exclaimed and went towards Katara and Iroh. Zuko shook his head and decided to join him. He promptly introduced himself:

"My name is Aang, and you are?" He eyed them both. The girl was from one of the Water Tribes and the man judging by his dress. It was clear to him he was on a Fire Nation ship by its design, as if Zuko holding a flame to his face was not enough.

"I am Katara." The girl introduced herself. She looked pretty to him, but he laughed it off.

"I am Iroh, young one." Iroh greeted him smiling widely. The old man was sincere, but he could tell he was also a bit concerned. "What were you doing around here?"

Before Aang could answer this question his bison awakened and let out a deep sigh, which further made the soldiers on the ship panic and ready to engage, but Aang called the bison:

"Appa!" To which the creature that was quarter of the size of Zuko's ship approached Aang and licked him in the face. Zuko came closer to Iroh and pulled him aside from the deck into the interior, while Katara looked at Appa.

"He's cute…" She said looking at the bison who was licking Aang nearly to death. The boy smiled to Katara:

"Pet him, he is pretty soft!"

The Water Tribe girl took off her gloves and started petting the bison:

"You're right, he is pretty fluffy." Katara said, smiling, but there was a certain sadness in her voice. Aang noticed, but decided to remain silent and continue talking about his bison. The Lieutenant approached them, throwing Aang a large carved stick.

"We've found this as well. I assume it belongs to you." He said it, with resentment. Something was off about these Fire Nation soldiers, and Aang could not fully understand. He did not even understand why and how he was on this ship, but he decided to go with it.

"That's my glider!" Aang took the glider in his hand and opened it, revealing its birdlike design. He jumped up and started flying around:

"Look, I can fly!" Katara and the crew of the ship watched Aang as he made circles in the air and landed back on the wooden platform on the back of Appa.

"Whoa…" Katara's mouth was wide open with surprise and fascination.

"He can fly too! Appa, yip,yip!" The bison just yawned and did not move from its resting place. The Lieutenant approached the young Airbender and warned him:

"If that bison flies, it will become a threat to the ship and the Fire Nation… Ask Prince Zuko before you fly it. If it was up to me, I would not allow it."

"I was just… Okay, I'll ask him." Aang bowed to the Lieutenant. Katara looked at the man and said:

"Well, I am going to go check on Zuko and Iroh, let them know that you want to fly your bison then," Katara said in a somewhat professional tone. As she approached them she overhears the two men finishing up their conversation:

"One thing you need to remember Zuko: don't let your emotions get the better of you." Iroh said for what it seemed like the last word, to which the prince replied with a rude scoff. Katara intervened at that moment:

"Hey, Zuko, we need you on the deck. Aang wants to know something." She seemed a bit more cheery than she was an hour ago, as though Aang had to do something with it. Zuko, on the other hand, seemed more frustrated than usual.

"Feeling better I see." Iroh noticed, which made Zuko visibly angrier for some reason. He motioned to Katara to follow him on the deck. Katara asked herself while following the Prince:

"What's gotten into him?"

 _To be continued…_

A/N: I'll fix my spelling mistakes today or tomorrow in both chapters


	3. Safe and Calm

Chapter III: Safe and Calm

Zuko and Katara went out to the deck, where Aang was waiting for them. Zuko asked the boy:

"So, what's the trouble?" He asked with ambivalence. He had a rough day, and this unfamiliar ice-berg boy asking too many questions was getting to him. Katara was his only source of calm, so he held his composure.

"Oh, I was wondering if I can fly my bison around once it rests." Aang said smiling, to which Zuko nodded affirmatively. Katara and Aang both got excited:

"Well, looks like we can now take air trips anywhere we wish to go!" Aang said, bowing to Zuko several times thanking him. Zuko did not seem too amused. He just switched between looking at Aang, the bison and Katara.

"Let's go back to the interior. My uncle wants to talk to you two." He said and went back in to the ship, the two soon followed. Katara and Zuko sat near each other, while Aang sat near Iroh, eyeing the two. Iroh put out new cups for everyone and poured his tea in each of them.

"Ah, we are all set. We were interrupted the last time after the arrival of our Air Nomad guest. Let's have our tea party, shall we?" Iroh said after sipping some of his tea. Everyone began sipping their tea as well, as Iroh gave them a moment to get used to their setting.

"So, Aang, is it? How did you end up in that iceberg?" Iroh questioned, smiling, remaining sincere. Aang calmly replied:

"I have no idea. I was just flying on my bison, and suddenly got hit by a wave. Now I am here!" Aang said smiling. Iroh and Zuko looked at him puzzled. Something was not right here:

"Where do you come from, Aang? We haven't heard of Air Nomads in quite some time, not since the war started." Zuko asked in a slightly friendly tone. He was curious to know if there were any Air Nomads left and if so, attempt to bring him back to them. There was an uneasy feeling within him, that there might not be any others left.

"What war?" The question that came out of Aang's mouth startled everyone at the table. Katara spat out her tea notwithstanding the utter shock she felt, Iroh nearly dropped his teapot and Zuko spilled his tea.

"Y-You mean you are not aware of the war that has been raging on between the Fire Nation and the whole World?" Katara murmured, her voice shaking, her eyes wide. Zuko was about to add something, but his uncle shook his head in disapproval, so he held back.

"A hundred years? This can't be… Last time I checked all four nations lived in peace…" Aang grabbed his head looking around. Katara interrupted him stating disdainfully, yet quietly:

"Then suddenly the fire nation attacked… A hundred years ago, Aang…"

"It looks like the young Air Bender was trapped in the Ice-Berg for One Hundred Years… This is highly unusual. I would have said impossible, but here you are." Iroh scratched his beard, still with a puzzled look on his face.

"What of the Avatar?" Zuko suddenly asked, which startled Aang, but he retained his composure. Katara grabbed Zuko's arm to stop his inquisitions. "Zuko." She whispered to him with a bit of worry. Aang was worried too, but Katara's voluntary presence on Zuko's ship made him feel comfortable being here. He decided not to inquire about why she was here with them, if they were at war with each other.

"The Last Avatar I've heard about was Avatar Roku, and then afterwards… nothing…" Aang responded looking down at his tea, his smile wiped from his face and his mood generally changed. He continued with a tint of sadness:

"I come from the Southern Air Temple. It should be in the same direction you are sailing."

"Yes, young one, and we were about make a stop there to regroup." Iroh smiled sincerely, but soon his smiled faded as well as he poured himself some tea:

"One thing to remember though: you might see something you might not expect. Are you sure you are prepared?" He asked Aang looking him directly in the eyes. Aang did not understand him or did not want to understand him. He did not know, but he tried to pretend that he had everything under control:

"I am ready to face whatever there is… even after one hundred years…" Aang also tried to look at Iroh with the same serious look, but it was visible that the boy was getting nervous. Iroh noticed this and offered:

"Why don't you go get some rest, Aang. It has been a long day. We can discuss more tomorrow."

The airbender reluctantly agreed. Zuko looked at both Aang and Katara:

"We don't have as much room on the ship, so I've arranged some extra cots in my room for now." Zuko explained looking down. He was feeling a little awkward about having both Katara and Aang in his room, but arranged it anyway as a gesture of good will. His pursuit of the Avatar felt off the list of priorities for some reason, and that reason was no other than Katara. Her presence there on his ship, alive and well made him feel unusually calm. He has not felt this calm in a while. It was as though when she died in his vision, a part of him died as well and came back to life the moment she saw her. Iroh stood up and gestured Aang to follow him so that he could show him Zuko's room, leaving Zuko and Katara at the tea table. There was a silence that lasted for about half a minute.

"Katara," Zuko suddenly put his arm around her shoulders. "I am glad you're alive…"

Katara's eyes filled with tears, as she looked down on the floor, avoiding looking at the prince's face. She murmured, barely audible:

"I am glad to see you again as well… I wish it was under better circumstances where that whole debacle in the village just didn't happen…"

"Well, at least it wasn't as bad as that cave…" Zuko tried to be positive, Katara nodded feeling a bit relieved. He was right, the cold, the sickness and the helplessness she felt in that dream felt too real.

"They'll come around eventually, Katara…" Zuko whispered in her ear, causing the girl to suddenly blush. She felt a warmth within her. How could she? She barely knew Zuko, and she barely interacted with him, but something made her feel safe and warm. She felt that despite the sorrow she experienced, her place was with him. This man was a Prince of the fire nation and was searching for the Avatar, and she was feeling safe with him. Unable to cope with that thought she removed his arm from stood up and said:

"I am going to bed as well. I am exhausted. We'll speak tomorrow… I have a few things to ask you…" She said quietly and went the same direction as Iroh and Aang. Zuko did not protest, surely Katara was very tired. He decided to stay up for a while longer, and go on a stroll around his ship before heading to bed himself, since he wanted to wrap his head around everything that had happened today.

Katara saw them in one of the rooms chatting away. It had one big bed in the middle and two cots on each side, which she guessed Zuko asked his crew to put there. She once again only got a glimpse of the conversation:

"You're safe here with us, Aang." Iroh reassured Aang as Katara walked in. Both greeted her with a smile:

"Ah, Katara! Decided to pay us a visit?" Iroh asked.

"Oh, I am just sleepy. It has been a long day for me, even if its still light out." Katara explained as the man exited the room:

"Well, I'll leave you to it. May tomorrow bring more peace to both of you." He said and left the two of them in the room. Katara took of her coat, revealing her kimono. Aang looked at it and asked in somewhat sad, almost quiet voice:

"How long have you been away from your tribe?" This question caught her a little off guard, but she decided to spill the truth. She had been barely controlling on what she was saying or doing. Everything was instinctive, some of the things she did were completely against her upbringing and even experiences, and yet she was feeling that she had made the right choice by ending up on this ship. She took off her shoes and lied down on one of the cots.

"Not long, around half an hour before they found you…" She responded which surprised Aang, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping:

"You acted as though you were here longer. I could not tell… How did you end up here?" The Air Bender asked sitting down on the other cot.

"It is a long story, Aang. I've met Zuko in a vision…" She tried to explain as her voice gradually reduced, as she realized how nonsensical it sounded. Aang noticed her voice reducing, and he understood why, but he had strange and bizarre visions himself. He decided to encourage her:

"Come on, Katara, tell me the rest. I believe you. I've had the strangest visions myself…" He confessed, which made Katara put her head up and look at him, with a genuine smile:

"Thank you for believing me… My village had a hard time…" She sighed, Aang did not want to press her on that story. He just responded with: "Of course…" She continued:

"It felt very real. I was wandering around some place in the South Pole. I felt very sick and cold. Then I see this light, and I approach it and I find myself near some fire nation guy. At this point everything was going wrong: I was lost in the wilderness, I was so sick, I felt like I was dying, and I was captured by the enemy… Basically, the guy, who is obviously Zuko, took me to the cave, warmed me up as best as he could and we chatted for hours. Zuko turned out not to be as bad as I thought he would be, being from the Fire Nation and all. Then, well, I woke up from the vision. According to Zuko I apparently died… He was very disturbed by that scene. The moment I woke up, my brother ran in to my tent, informing me about a Fire Nation ship docking at our shore. I put on my coat and come down to the shore and there he is, Zuko… standing there…" Katara suddenly stopped, her voice started shaking.

"So, what did you do?" Aang questioned, finally lying down and looking up the celling.

"He stretched out his hand to me and I took it and then I hugged him." Katara barely managed to tell. She then suddenly raised her voice, picturing the scene in her mind. Aang could hear the sorrow in her voice:

"They thought I knew him before this… It was instinctual… I just felt a strange connection to him. I did not give it all a second thought…" She cried out all of a sudden.

"I see…" Aang sank deep in to his thoughts, drawing conclusions: "So, this is just my guess, but your village did not understand your explanation... It does sound like nonsense, but I had very vivid visions that felt very real, and I've met…"

"You're spot on, Aang. The question is, why me and Zuko?" Katara wondered, the same thing that Aang did, why them?

"Maybe it is fate or maybe a coincidence…" He thought for a little bit. He suddenly had an idea that got him excited. "Hey, Katara, we can maybe quickly fly back to your village and take Zuko with us, and explain the whole situation. I can try and convince them!"

"Aang, that's so sweet of you, but it is going to take me a long while before I can muster up the courage to look at their face." Katara became annoyed and fearful all of a sudden, Aang decided to back off:

"At some point then, Katara." Aang said and decided to switch the topic to something else. He decided to tell her about his mentor and fatherly figure Monk Gyatso. She listened to him attentively with interest.

Meanwhile Zuko collided with the Lieutenant on his way out on the deck. He eyed Zuko head to toe and said:

"You've been treating the two guests we have with particular respect. You must remember, your majesty, that we are at war. These people are our enemies, and I do not believe that it is a wise decision to host them as our guests." He grumbled angrily at Zuko, who gave him a death stare. "Also, what are we going to do with that bison thing?"

"Don't question my motives, Lieutenant. I know what I am doing." Zuko replied with a semi-threatening voice, causing the Lieutenant to clench his fists but bowed down to Zuko and muttered angrily:

"Yes, your majesty…" The man said and passed by Zuko. Iroh watched their conversation from the side and approached Zuko:

"You know, Zuko, I stand by your choices. Treating them two like your guests is the best decision you could have ever made." Iroh told his nephew, to which Zuko simply nodded. Both him and Iroh walked towards the bison, who was lying there and snoring peacefully.

"What kind of creature is this even?" Zuko asked his uncle while putting his hand on Appa.

"A flying bison, Zuko. I thought they were extinct around the time the Air Benders were all killed. It seems like it was preserved in the ice for as long as Aang was. Keep in mind, Zuko, the young Air Bender is your guest first, everything else second. Treat him with dignity and respect. We will figure out who he is in no time. Even if he turns out to be the Avatar, we need him cooperating with us, not against us, Zuko." Iroh went on to advice his nephew, who listened closely, but again did not react, which made Iroh a little concerned about him.

"Zuko, we've talked about this half an-hour ago. It is important to be patient and in control of your emotions in situations like these. Give the boy a chance, he might not even be what we suspect him to be. Your great-grandfathers decision to wipe out the Air Nomads was reprehensible. You must not make the same mistakes." Iroh suddenly became serious, but Zuko did not respond once more. Iroh decided to step up his persuasions:

"You realize the moment hostilities begin the girl is going to abandon you…" Iroh warned. Zuko wanted to keep the neutral expression on his face, but his eyes widened, and a blush appeared on his face. Iroh did not press on:

"Think before you act, Zuko." Iroh finished and went back in to the interior of the ship to continue drinking his tea and playing a game of Pai Sho. Zuko went out to the front of his ship and blasted fire from his hands in to thin air, grunting from frustration. He was conflicted. Aang could definitely be the Avatar, in fact, all the evidence was pointing towards that direction, yet he was cautioned by both his uncle and by the fear of Katara disapproving his desire to still pursue the Avatar. He wandered around the ship for a little longer, but by the time the sun set he also decided to head back to his room. He lit a small flame in his hand as to shed some light on the room. Aang and Katara were fast asleep. Zuko fell on his bed and joined them. The night went without any visions or any dreams, for which both Zuko and Katara was a blessing.

Ironically, Katara was the one to wake Zuko up, early in the morning. He opened his eyes slowly and saw her staring at him. He felt an immediate calm overwhelming him once again, and he could not understand why. Was it her smile? Was it her eyes? Was it her overall presence? He also noticed that she was in her kimono, and not her coat. Before he could react, he heard her soft voice ask:

"Zuko, wake up, let's go up to the deck." She said pulling him by the arm and nervously looking around both at the door and the sleeping Aang. Zuko did not ask any questions, got up and followed her up to the deck of the ship. There was no one there, the sun just started to show itself. Appa was already woken up and looking at the two with interest. Katara went up to the nose of the ship, which was hidden behind the bison, which made Zuko even more curious what she was planning on. Many thoughts ran through his head, but he could not decide on one of them. He hurried, since he was curious to find out what she was wanting. By the time he reached her, the girl was looking out at the sea sadly.

"Zuko, that vision…. I think clearly there was something out in this world that wanted us to meet. Otherwise it wouldn't have happened. I do not why yet, but it's clear to me that everything had to play out this way… I know it is not an ideal situation, but… Aang told me to be honest with you, and I will be. I did not tell him this, and I am telling this only to you… Keep it a secret…" Katara suddenly stopped and her gaze became even more deeper as she stared at the sea. Zuko gave her time to muster up what she wanted to say. He did not say a word. He was there to listen. Katara took a deep breath:

"Although, you are the Prince of the Fire Nation, and I thought you were the embodiment of all the evil that I saw in the world… I do not know why, I feel safe around you, because I feel like I've seen the real you in that cave… If only people in my village could understand…" Her voice cracked as she explained. Zuko embraced her in response, holding her tight. Katara wanted to whisper something in his ear.

They were interrupted by Appa's loud roar and movement, letting go of each other. The bison went towards the door leading to the interior as though he recognized the footsteps of someone. Needless to say, Aang immediately came out of that door. Appa started licking him with affecting.

"Haha, Appa." The boy laughed and look both at Katara and Zuko, who were standing there, watching him and the bison quietly.

"Hey, guys." He greeted them, smiling. "Want to fly around?"

 _To be continued…_


End file.
